Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Easing Into Science Fiction Romance by Sam Cheever

I love science fiction romance. In fact, I find
myself inserting a bit of sci fi into most of my paranormal stuff. I didn’t
even realize I was doing this until I started seeing the books described as
science fiction, futuristic romance. Then I realized reviewers were right. I’ve
written flying cars, futuristic food machines and hybrid communication devices since
I created my first paranormal series.

I guess that genesis should have told me something
about my style of science fiction…I don’t write complex worlds with elaborate naming
conventions and multifaceted ruling structures. That type of sci fi is
wonderfully intricate and compelling, but it can often take a good third of the
first book to get acclimated to it all. I don’t have a problem with those books,
it’s just that…well…sigh…I guess I’m a lazy reader.

My world building is a fairly straight forward amalgam
of the world as we know it now, the world as we expect it to be in the future,
and stuff we haven’t even imagined yet. My characters fly around in space ships
(or flying cars) that are fueled by Hydrogen gas, fire O2 guns and lasers, and
wear space suits when they’re on planets with non-compatible air.

They might have an altered density so that gravity
affects them differently. But they mostly look like us and they’re enough like
us to make them easy to understand and accept. My aliens speak a language that
is similar enough to ours that they can acclimate easily. They are tied to us
in some way through shared history but they’ve evolved differently. They’re distinct
enough that dropping them into our world creates instant entertainment. They
eat enough like us to survive easily on Earth, but have fun discovering things
like chocolate and popcorn. They appreciate our computers and technology, while
laughing at our use of paper and street art to communicate.

I use a background in chemistry and biology (I
studied to be a nutritionist before I decided I’d rather write #:0) to create
my characters and space experiences. I’m like the mad scientist who mixes and
matches new and untried science with common, well-known tech.

But my overarching goal is always to make my
world-building simple enough to quickly grasp so that the reader can focus on
the characters and their antics. The world they interact in is vital…but it
mustn’t overwhelm the characters. It should wrap quietly around them, enhancing
rather than eclipsing. It’s a flavor rather than an entity…white noise instead
of a soundtrack.

I know I’ve succeeded in creating a sci fi world
that’s comfortable to newcomers when readers who generally don’t read sci fi enjoy
the stories I’ve created. My goal is to help unfamiliar, maybe downright
resistant, readers discover this wonderful genre. And I’m happy to ease them
into SFR, so writers who create more intricate worlds can pull them more deeply into the sci fi web. *grin*

Happy Reading, Everybody!

In case you're curious, the following are the first books in all three of my sci fi paranormal romance series:

***New Release***

Bedeviled & Beguiled - Book 1: Bedeviled & Beyond Series

Astra Q Phelps is on the side of the good guys in the war between good and evil. Unfortunately for her, the bad guys have been making inroads on her soul. And when a particularly dark and sexy dark worlder fixes his heated gaze on Astra, the lighter side of her nature quickly finds itself kicked to the curb by her slut-monkey side. But Astra doesn't have time to deal with her love life. She's in the middle of a war between two dark factions...a war that just might mean the end of the human population...and it seems the fate of the world rests uneasily on her shoulders. It's a lot of pressure to put on one feisty halfling...but Astra Q Phelps is definitely...erm...certainly...ahh...possibly up to the challenge.

The Epoch Mages and the Sorceri Bounty Hunters are ALWAYS on opposite sides of any issue. They H-A-T-E each other. But when a rogue witch decides to take over the world using flesh-eating zombies, Ardith and Draigh have to work together to stop her. And though they’ve twisted themselves inside out trying to deny their blistering desire for each other, they soon learn they'll need to work together to accomplish what many before them have failed to do. Yep, it's all gonna be uphill from there!

The
Alphas of the Blood are an elite, alien race of vampires. They escaped a
devastated planet that was overrun with plague-infected beasts and came to
Earth for a chance at a new life…a new beginning. The change is bitter-sweet
for Zeenon Akba, who lost much of his family in the plague wars and fears his
only brother might have carried the infection to Earth with him. But when Zee
stumbles upon a pretty human female being stalked by an infected, he’s
determined to help her, even if it means killing his own brother. Aware of
their many differences and the necessity of finding a blood slave to be his
mate, Zee doesn’t intend to lose his heart to pretty and spunky Brooke Carlin.
So why can’t he get her out of his mind?

6 comments:

I love sci fi movies, Sam, and agree with you. I haven’t enjoyed too many books because of the intricate descriptions of the worlds and sometimes, vocabulary. Looking for to reading your first book. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks, Judy! I love the movies too! Guardians of the Galaxy was my favorite movie of the year and I'm really looking forward to the new Star Wars movie. I guess it's easier to get into a strange, new world on the big screen because you don't have to slog through all the description about the politics etc. That makes it so much more fun. Happy reading!

I love the strong female on your first book cover. I have always wanted to live in a world where cars could fly and machines could bring us homemade food. Think Jetsons! It seemed so possible but it hasn't happened. All the best with your books!